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Impressions of class D amps from Gilmore and Merrill...

I was fortunate to have these on loan for a number of weeks but I only listened to them on my Thiel 7.2s (with balanced connections from my Wadia 850), so I'm sure they will give different results with different speakers.

Gilmore Raptors - $2500/pair - 500w into 4ohms

The good - About 10 years ago I heard the Raptors driving Al Sekala's Maggies and they sounded terrific. These amps (based on the B&O Ice module) provided the best bass I have heard on the Thiels - floor-shakingly low, well defined and punchy. The amps also excel at rythymic drive and dynamic contrasts. They are pretty transparent with decent depth.

The not-so-good - they sound bright on the Thiels and get hard and "splashy" when turned up even a little. The high frequencies seem cut-off and lacking in air. I had the feeling the music was being pushed out at me and at their best I would describe the sound "as a good recording", never getting close enough to live for me. I had hoped these could serve as summer replacement amps during the hot weather.

Merrill Veritas Monos - $12,000/pair - 700w into 4ohms

The good - these amps (based on the Hypex N-core NC1200 module) may be what Apple would design if they were to get into audio. They are made from a solid 66lb aluminum block, which has smooth, rounded corners and one-inch thick internal walls. Sonically there is a tonal purity and clarity to the sound with a lack of background noise which provides terrific transparency, individuality to instruments and voices with more layered depth.

The not so good - they also sounded bright on the Thiels but could be turned up a little more before the sound got hard and too bright. The midrange can sound a little thinner than the Raptors because without that strong bottom end, you focus more on the upper midrange (kind of like the ARC house sound I recall from 20 years ago). High frequencies are extended and there is a lot of air. But I never forgot I was listening to a solid state amp.

Back to my Manley NeoClassic 250s - ahhhh, a relief. There is a synergy between these amps and the big Thiels that never fails to draw me into the music. On good recordings I can almost forget I'm listening to a CD and imagine the musicians in the room. The instruments and vocals have body, dimensionality and harmonic bloom the other two amps could only hint at.

I suspect I may never find a solid state amp to satisfy me for summer listening with these speakers.

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Topic - Impressions of class D amps from Gilmore and Merrill... - mkuller 20:45:38 11/02/15 (164)
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